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Boots History

Boots was founded in Nottingham by John Boot in 1849 and transformed into a national chain by his son Jesse. Its current logo is based on a design made by one of Jesse's signwriters in the 1870s. The chain was established during that time, and for the first time they became official dispensing chemists, stocking prescription medicines. By the onset of the First World War there were over five hundred Boots shops. Boots now has almost one thousand five hundred stores including some stores overseas.

The company was until recently called The Boots Company and consisted of several subsidary companies, such as Boots the Chemists Limited, which is the main retail chain. The parent company is now called Boots Group plc. The other main trading companies are Boots Healthcare International, which manufactures pharmaceuticals, Boots Opticians, and Boots Retail International. Originally with their own logos, all parts of the group (except Crookes Healthcare) now share the Boots lozenge logo.

Since the appointment of a new Chief Executive from ASDA the Company has been given greater re-focus - inevitably leading to more outsourcing (such as Boots's own warehouses at its Head Office base in Nottingham - now owned by UNIPART) and job losses at Nottingham. In a break from tradition, Boots is reported to be preparing to lease out a main office building (vacant due to the level of staff losses) on its own private estate in Beeston, Nottinghamshire.